3 Homes With Dumbwaiters, Hyped By Thomas Jefferson: How Much House

ACROSS AMERICA — Dumbwaiters, used now to move cargo from one level to another, have changed dramatically since Thomas Jefferson borrowed the innovation from his time as the U.S. minister to France and incorporated it in his 18th-century Monticello estate.

Monticello was outfitted with five dumbwaiters for the conveyance of food and beverages during dinner parties, replacing servants who might overhear, according to a history of the dumbwaiter compiled by Inclinator, a company that designs dumbwaiters and home elevators. A fireplace in the dining room concealed one of the dumbwaiters that communicated with the wine cellar.

Another, described by a guest as a spring-loaded turning shelf, allowed the kitchen staff to put food on the dumbwaiter, and then turn it so it would appear in the dining room. After the meal, the guests would put their empty plates on the dumbwaiter and return them to the kitchen.

In the interest of national security, Jefferson also used that model at the White House during his presidency.

Today, we might call some of those innovations a chef’s cart. Dumbwaiters have modernized with the times and are now practical small lifts that work like freight elevators to move laundry, groceries and heavy items from one floor to another at the flip of a switch.

This week in How Much House, we look at homes in Georgia, Maryland and New Hampshire.

Georgia | $3,200,000

82 Corral Road, Milledgeville
Listed by: Vickie Melder | Lake Homes Realty
Square feet: 6,000
Acreage: 28.73 acres
Bedrooms: 5
Bathrooms: 7 (6 full)
Year built: 2021

The dumbwaiter is in the attached two-story garage in this custom farmhouse built for entertaining and luxurious everyday living. It’s a horse owner’s dream, with copious outbuildings. For starters, there are two barns with stalls and tack/feed rooms, a covered riding arena with a cutting pen, round pen and more than 20 acres of pasture, six with horse shelters. One of the barns has living quarters with a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen area, and there’s also a stand-alone office with log siding.

The main level of the three-level home features a vaulted great room with a fireplace bricked to the ceiling, built-in cabinetry, craftsman-style windows and doors, and a dining area that opens to a large screened porch with a wood-burning stone fireplace. The large, main-level country kitchen has a generous eat-in island and top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances. There are plenty of places to clean up from food preparation with a vegetable sink and a double-basin farmhouse sink, and the laundry room also has a farmhouse sink.

The spacious primary suite, also on the main level, features a large, screened veranda, a soaking tub and a walk-in shower with a rain head, and a custom closet. Three more ensuite bedrooms are upstairs, along with a laundry room. The terrace level is accented by gorgeous rough-cut cedar walls.

The lower level has a great room with a tiled gas fireplace, a dining room, another full kitchen with a large pantry, another bedroom and two full baths.

The outdoor terrace features a wood-burning fireplace, an outdoor kitchen and a 20-foot-by-40-foot saltwater gunite pool. Just off the pool area is a cooking shed. Peek inside for more photos.

Maryland | $1,330,000

7661 Dam No. 4 Road, Sharpsburg
Listed by: Susan Peterson | The Glocker Group Realty Results
Square feet: 5,788
Acreage: 12 acres
Bedrooms: 5
Bathrooms: 4 (2 full)
Year built: 1818

The dumbwaiter was added to the National Register of Historic Places-listed Woburn Manor around the turn of the 20th century to connect the dining room with the kitchen below. As was the custom when it was built, each gray stone in the 50-foot tall, nearly 6,000-square-foot masterpiece was sourced from the land, as was much of the hardwood used for window sashes, flooring and other details.

A tree-lined, stone-walled lane leads to a circular driveway of the manor house, which features a lovely front porch with hand-crafted, curved banisters, a gorgeous fan light and side lights.

All eyes are on the ceiling in the front hall, which has a graceful arch, hand-made plaster medallion, 12-foot ceilings and original 200-year-old yellow pine floors, which are featured throughout the home. Typical of other Federal-style homes, the symmetrical floor plan is repeated on each level.

A cozy parlor and study off the front hall has one of the home’s eight fireplaces (four of which are working), and a custom-made bookshelf. At the south end of the hall, large original doors separate the grand parlor/living room and dining room, each with their own fireplace. A jib door — that is, one that is camouflaged and hidden — opens from the grand parlor to small rear porch overlooking the formal garden. A side hall off the center entry hall reveals a stunning three-story staircase.

The “heart” of the family room is located downstairs. The main hall on that level leads to the roomy family room and kitchen, which has a beautiful stone fireplace. The country kitchen provides ample space with cabinetry hewn from trees felled on the property. The side door of the “English basement” opens to the stone-walled courtyard with a slate patio leading to a summer kitchen and domestic house. Stone steps connect the courtyard to the formal garden at the rear.

Three large bedrooms, each with a fireplace, are found on the third floor. The primary suite has a new walk-in closet with built-ins. Another bedroom features an original closet, a rarity for homes built in the early 19th century. A closet was added to the third bedroom. The fourth level has two more bedrooms, a cedar closet and an attic. Peek inside for more photos.

New Hampshire | $828,000

139 N. Main St., Troy
Listed by: Rachnh Realty Group | Keller Williams Realty Metropolitan
Square feet: 4,774
Acreage: 3.42 acres
Bedrooms: 5
Bathrooms: 5 (4 full)
Year built: 1951

Two houses share a single lot with this unique property. The main house, built by the original owner of Troy Mills, was a candidate for Popular Mechanic’s Home of the Year in 1952. It has amazing features, including a heated driveway; two gas pumps, both now decommissioned, for the garage; and the original mechanized dumbwaiter.

The main house features one-level living and opens to a gorgeous foyer with detailed built-ins. The primary ensuite bedroom features a stunning wood-burning fireplace, a built-in mini fridge, built-in drawers and matching closets. The bath features an oversized tub.

To the right of the front foyer is the main living room with pellet stove insert in the fireplace, built-in cabinetry and floor-to-ceiling windows; a sun room offering views of Mount Monadnock and Gap Mountain.

The office and formal dining area feature custom cabinetry and a curio display case. This room overlooks the indoor pool and leads to the eat-in kitchen with a swinging butler door and a Dutch door that leads to the pool.

The second home offers two one-bedroom units, each with a garage, with a rent potential of $2,900. It has equally unique finishes. Peek inside for more photos.

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